23 replies to this topic

[Deathlike]

Khobai, on 01 September 2015 - 07:43 PM, said:

Nah. Lasers should be invisible.

Paul, is that you?

[FupDup]

Deathlike, on 01 September 2015 - 07:46 PM, said:

Paul, is that you?

Paul said:

Yes, son. We are together again.

[Khobai]

Not only should lasers be invisible

But ECM should make mechs invisible too

So youre firing invisible weapons at invisible mechs

[Y E O N N E]

Khobai, on 01 September 2015 - 07:43 PM, said:

Nah. Lasers should be invisible. Because weaponized lasers are high energy and in the same part of the spectrum as x-rays which arnt in the visible spectrum of light. Lookup Boeings advanced tactical laser on youtube.

Realscience time, you can't use an X-ray laser in atmosphere because it's just going to get scattered. You don't even want to use Extreme UV for the same reason. An X-Ray laser is absolutely devastating in a vacuum, but useless down here in the dirt. Wavelengths of EUV+ are sometimes collectively referred to as "vacuum frequencies" as a result.

But wait, there's more!

X-Rays are hard to reflect; you can't use traditional optics. Worse, wavelengths from EUV on up have a nasty habit of transmuting the elements they strike, so that's going to screw with your firing array as well.

For the record, Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser is firing infrared beams. Infrared has extremely low attenuation in atmosphere.

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If you tried to apply real world logic youd end up with a game no one wants to play. Who wants to play a game where youre firing invisible silent lasers at eachother. Rainbow lasers look way cooler.

I disagree, the real world already offers much cooler options than BattleTech. And would you say the more grounded, re-imagined Battlestar Galactica was less exciting to watch than the science-fantasy original series? Because I sure wouldn't. Hell, it's more exciting and interesting than Star Wars.

Just for starters, these lasers could be so powerful that they flash-vaporize water in the air with a thunderclap and we get a nice, expanding, steamy contrail. Visible spectrum shots would be blinding when they reflect off of particulates or the impact point, requiring polarizing glass.

Anyway, we can continue this discussion in PMs if you want. Let's not hijack the thread too much.

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There does need to be some differentiation between regular and ER lasers though.

I think regular lasers and pulse lasers should be red (SL/SPL), green (ML/MPL), and blue (LL/LPL)

While the ER lasers, ER pulse, and X-pulse should be color shifted to orange (ERSL), yellow (ERML), and purple (ERLL)

That way you can tell exactly whats being fired at you.

Agreed; ER lasers should be visibly distinguished from their standard counterparts. I suggested the colors I did because higher frequency begets higher damage which, in a vacuum, begets longer range. If we ignore attenuation effects, it was logical.

FupDup, on 01 September 2015 - 07:32 PM, said:

I was referring to the hardpoint colors in the mechlab, not the in-game weapon colors.

Oops. Tiem 4 bed, kthnx.